Jana Ginter lives on the southeastern plains of Wyoming, 30 miles east of Cheyenne, a place where golden wheat fields stretch in almost every direction to the far distant horizon and where acres of sunflowers glow in the late-summer sun. Here, “next-door” neighbors live several miles apart, separated by spacious farms and cattle ranches, most…
Operation Christmas Child
Passing the Shoebox Baton: Meet a National Team Coordinator
The millions of shoebox gifts packed in 2020 are currently being processed for overseas shipment and will soon be on their way to National Leadership Teams around the globe. These volunteer teams work together with local churches to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children through the distribution of your prayerfully packed shoebox gifts.…
Operation Christmas Child
Faith on the Mountaintop
Pastor Rick and his team knew it would be tough—physically and spiritually—to reach the remote village they had been lifting up in prayer. To share the Good News of Jesus Christ there, the group had to scale steep mountains, cross rivers full of rocks and stones, and push through dense bamboo and vegetation. Their journey…
Operation Christmas Child
Quality Matters
Quality items in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts can be the gifts that keep on giving, as children grow up with lasting treasures that sometimes mean even more to them over time. Here are some examples of quality items and reasons they’re important to include: Quality items can become life-long keepsakes. Some shoebox items are…
Operation Christmas Child
A Young Girl in Ecuador Shares Her Amazing Testimony
Iglesia Nueva Generación in Cutuglagua, Ecuador, was predominantly a congregation of adults until they got involved with Operation Christmas Child. But when they coordinated an outreach event for children in June 2021, they were glad to see youngsters coming to the church, said volunteer Maria Yucailla. The event was successful and followed local health guidelines…
Operation Christmas Child
Lighting His Way to Jesus
Kululu Atsiaya often felt forgotten, especially at Christmas. He knew his family loved him, but life was hard for the boy growing up in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. He had heard stories of people receiving gifts, but he had never experienced it or known anyone who had. Most families in his neighborhood struggled to…
Operation Christmas Child
Building Toy Cars to Help Build God’s Kingdom
Ken Postema lives in Western Michigan, about 15 miles east of Grand Rapids, on 10 wooded acres that he purchased 51 years ago when he was a senior in high school. Tall white pines, maples, tulip poplars, and hybrid poplars dot the lush, rolling landscape surrounding Ken’s beautifully handcrafted house, which he built himself. “Some…
Operation Christmas Child
Packing a Shoebox Will ‘Make Your Heart Feel Good’
Retirement eagerly waited to welcome Sallie Simmons. She’d soon turn 65 and all the years of hard work would be behind her. Yet, one day, Sallie had an encounter with God that changed the direction of her life. “I was on my way home, driving a brand-new car. But I thought, ‘I’m not doing what…
Operation Christmas Child
Island with No Power, No Airport Receives Shoebox Gifts
The small island of Enubirr has no electrical power and no airport. Located in the central Pacific between the Philippines and Hawaii, Enubirr is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and home to just over 1,000 people. Most residents work on the neighboring island of Roi-Namur, which is leased to the U.S. government…
Operation Christmas Child
Planting Churches in Mongolia
Mongolia is a spiritually dark land where Buddhism and cults are common and Christians are scarce. But a young couple committed to serving Jesus Christ is praying for this to change. Jargalmaa and her husband, Munkh-Erdene, moved with their two young children to Arvaikheer in southern Mongolia because the city is known for being among…
